


A Birthday to Remember

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: BixFreed [11]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Established Relationship, Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16561088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Bickslow has always been one for going overboard on birthdays, especially when it comes to Freed's, but this year he has plans that will change everything.





	A Birthday to Remember

   Freed woke to the feel of warm lips trailing butterfly kisses along his neck and then up to his cheeks, and he smiled at the sensation, burrowing against the warm body wrapped around him with a sleepy mumble. They were at home, and as far as he could recall they had no intention of taking a job for a few days at least and for once he was more than happy to just stay in bed. Especially when he could feel the steady beat of his partner’s heart beneath his ear, and he hummed as he twisted so that he could nuzzle against Bickslow’s chest with his nose. _Mine. Home_. He thought with sleepy possessiveness, Bickslow’s arms tightened around him, and he felt the soft chuckle that rumbled through his partner’s chest, and slowly he coaxed his eyes open, blinking as he found Bickslow peering down at him with soft eyes.

“Hey…”

“Hey,” Bickslow greeted him softly, leaning forward and brushing his lips against Freed’s before adding quietly. “Happy Birthday.” Freed blinked at the reminder that it was indeed his birthday, but before he could say anything the Seith mage had deepened the kiss and all thoughts about his birthday disappeared as he leaned eagerly into the kiss, feeling Bickslow’s fingers tangling into his hair as the other man pressed him back into the sheets. However, just before it could become too heated the Seith mage pulled away, grinning as he caught the pout that passed over Freed’s face, leaning in to steal another kiss before pulling back.

“Bickslow…” He protested sleepily as he reached out to stop him, he was usually the first to rise, and he couldn’t understand why his partner seemed so keen to be up and about today, but before he could put those thoughts into words, Bickslow had evaded his grasp. Freed scowled and began to sit up, only to pause as Bickslow reached past him to grab something from the bedside table, and the Rune mage blinked in surprise when two parcels were gently deposited in his lap before Bickslow settled back beside him.

“Presents,” Bickslow said unnecessarily and Freed rolled his eyes at the childish excitement he could hear in his partner’s voice. As much as the Seith mage enjoyed getting presents, he always seemed to reach new levels of excitement when he was the one giving them, especially when it came to Freed and the Rune mage shook his head before pushing himself upright so that he could open them more easily.

“Thank you,” he whispered softly, leaning in to peck the taller man on the cheek before turning his attention back to his presents, feeling Bickslow’s eyes on him as he gently unwrapped them, carefully trying to avoid ripping the paper. He had always unwrapped presents that way, but he did it deliberately nowadays because he knew that it wound his partner up and sure enough he could feel Bickslow beginning to quiver slightly with impatience. Taking pity on him, he finished opened the first one, smiling at the sight of the box of chocolates from the small chocolatier in Magnolia’s. They were his favourite chocolates, but he could never really justify buying them for himself, and he looked forward to his birthday and Christmas because Bickslow would always buy him a box.

    Gently setting it aside for later he lent in to steal another kiss, startled when Bickslow moved so that it landed on his lips rather than his cheek and Freed smirked before trying to deepen the kiss, quite liking the idea of returning to their earlier activity. However, Bickslow pulled away again and bopped him gently on his nose.

“Open your other present.”

    Freed grumbled under his breath but obeyed, sensing that there was something more to this present from the way he could feel Bickslow’s eyes boring into him. The paper crumpled slightly as he found himself opening somewhat more eagerly than before, and his eyes widened as he took in the cravat nestled neatly in its box. It was one that he had been looking at a few days ago, but it had been more expensive than he had been willing to pay and his fingers trembled slightly as he reached out to gently brush against the silky material.

“How?” He had been alone that day, Evergreen and Bickslow occupied at the guild, and he hadn’t said anything about it as he’d dismissed it as unimportant.

“I have my means,” Bickslow grinned cheekily at him, pleased to see the happy smile that spread across Freed’s face, well aware that the last few months had been hard on all of them, and he was determined to make sure that smiled stayed all day, and he leant in to steal a kiss before adding teasingly. “You’ll need it for tonight.”

“Tonight?” Freed echoed, glancing down at his present once more with a frown, before shifting his attention back to his partner just in time to see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Yep,” Bickslow replied unhelpfully, well aware that it would wind his partner up, and he hastily continued before Freed could ask more questions. “And that’s all I’m telling you for now.”

“Bickslow,” Freed protested weakly, well aware that his partner had a bad habit of going slightly overboard when it came to presents…especially when it came to him, and he wasn’t reassured in the slightest by the way the Seith mage’s grin had grown in response to his protest. _He’s definitely planning something…._

“Nope,” Bickslow shook his head stubbornly, refusing to give in to the pleading look for once. He had plans for today. Plans that he had been working on for ages, and he had no intention of changing them at this stage, although he could feel his resolve wavering as Freed gave him what could definitely be counted as a puppy dog gaze. Coughing he glanced away to stop himself from giving in, cursing the power that Freed had over him before taking a deep breath. “I’m going to go and run you a bath so stay in bed a little longer, all right?” It was a tradition that he and Evergreen had introduced, working together to convince their Captain that at least on his birthday he needed to have a lazy morning and let them spoil him rotten. It had been a long battle to convince him, and Freed had only capitulated after the pair of them had become romantically involved.

“Fine…” Freed sighed, catching the stubborn set to Bickslow’s jaw and realising that his efforts to get information out of him weren’t going to work for once. “Just don’t go too overboard, okay?” As much as he enjoyed the rare occasions where he allowed his partner to pamper him, there were limits to what he could allow, and he wasn’t comforted in the slightest by Bickslow’s grin as he leant in to kiss him fiercely.

“Would I?” Bickslow asked with a laugh as he pulled away, kissing the end of Freed’s nose before rising and heading for the door, leaving Freed to stare at his retreating back with a slightly dazed expression, and a hint of concern brewing in his stomach.

 _Yes,_ Freed thought silently as he glanced across at the box of chocolates before turning his attention to the cravat that he was still clinging to. It was made of soft, ivory silk, much finer than the one he usually wore. It wasn’t something you would wear randomly, and he wondered where on earth Bickslow was planning to take them if this was something that he could get away with wearing. It was a little bit too much, but he couldn’t keep the happy smile off his face as he stroked the material once more before gently setting it aside on the table. He hadn’t even got out of bed yet, and he already couldn’t stop smiling, and as he snuggled back under the duvet for a couple more minutes, he had to agree that maybe every now and then it wasn’t a bad thing to be looked after.

_Happy Birthday indeed…._

****

   After his bath, which Bickslow had insisted on carrying him to and from despite his protests, they had gone down to have breakfast with Evergreen and Laxus, and he had received more presents. He had already known what Evergreen was going to buy him, but that didn’t stop him from gushing over the set of books when he unwrapped them. It was a new series by one of their favourite authors that he hadn’t had a chance to read or buy, and she had laughed at his excitement even as she wrapped him in a tight hug and pressed a cheeky kiss to his cheek. A challenge that Bickslow hadn’t left unanswered stealing Freed away the moment he was released and kissing him fiercely, and it was only when they heard Laxus grumbling behind them that he let him go.

   The Dragon-slayer had been blushing slightly from the display as he pushed an envelope across the table, grunting a quiet ‘Happy Birthday’ as Freed took it curiously, turquoise eyes widening as he found a voucher for the Blacksmith where he usually took his sword for maintenance. He had noticed that it was getting worn around the edges and he had begun saving to buy a new one not wanting to bother the others with it. He hadn’t realised that Laxus had noticed the same thing, and he stammered and stuttered out his thanks unsure of which of them was more embarrassed as Laxus gruffly brushed off his thanks. Pointing out that it was an investment as that sword had saved them all more than once, but none of them was fooled as they caught the happy gleam in his eyes as Freed reverently put the voucher away and tucked into one of his books for safety.

   The rest of breakfast passed with quiet talking and laughter, Freed and Evergreen bickering quietly when she learnt that he had got chocolates and that he had no intention of saving them. It was an argument they had whenever one of them got chocolate, and Bickslow and Laxus had both learned to tune them out, well aware that at some point they would find the two of them curled up and eating chocolate together. However, while he laughed and chatted easily, Freed could tell that there was something more going on, especially when he caught them all exchanging glances when they thought he wasn’t looking and he was burning to know what was going on. It was clear that Bickslow was excited about it though, and considering that he had held out against Freed for the first time in ages it was something that meant a lot to him and so Freed resigned to waiting until he was ready to tell him what was going on.

   They had just been about to leave the house half an hour later when Freed had put his hand into his pocket to find another present, and he’d shot Bickslow a stern look even as he pulled it out. Unwrapping it he found a single artisan chocolate in a tiny green box, but what caught his attention was the tiny key that was hidden with it, and he pulled it out curiously.

“What is…?”

“Hold on to it,” Bickslow cut him off with a smile, kissing away his frown before adding softly. “You’re going to need it.” That was all he would say on the topic and so Freed had carefully tucked the key away into his pocket, his mind racing as he tried to come up with what the Seith mage could have planned. Only to be side-tracked by Evergreen trying to steal his chocolate and his thoughts about the mystery flew out the window as he wound up chasing her out of the door.

****

   He got more gifts at the guild, something that still startled and awed him after his involvement in the Battle of Fairy Tail a few years before, and there was a constant dusting of pink across his cheeks as people stopped by to wish him Happy Birthday or give him a present. Most of them were simple things like chocolate, books or more commonly book vouchers as they knew that he was nearly as bad as Levy for his love of books and that there was a high chance that he might already have whatever book they tried to buy him. However, he treasured each one of them, thanking everyone profusely and ignoring the soft smiles on his teammate's faces as he sat there staring at the pile with stunned eyes. _How short are their memories?_

   It was midmorning that he got his next gift from Bickslow, returning from the bathroom to discover another present, wrapped in the same golden paper as the ones from this morning sat in his seat. He eyed it cautiously for a moment, wondering if this was going to give him another clue and unable to entirely quash the excitement that was rising with that thought, and he ignored Evergreen’s knowing look as he slipped back into his seat and unwrapped it, this time unable to make himself open it slowly. It was another book, wrapped in protective cloth and his mouth dropped open as he carefully pulled the fabric away and he glanced up at Bickslow who was watching him with a soft expression.

“This…” He couldn’t even put into words what he was feeling right now. ‘Scripts of Darkness’, had been a book that he had been looking for, for years after he’d first found it mentioned in another book about rune magic and as far as he knew it was the only book written with the sole focus on Dark Écriture, and he had begun to think that all the copies had disappeared.

“Open it,” Bickslow urged softly, and Freed blinked at him _. Surely there can’t be more?_ His fingers were trembling slightly as he gently opened the cover, and his breath caught as he found a small sheet of paper inside, his lips quirking upwards at the sight of his partner’s messy scrawl. In the past, it had been a task and a half to decipher the other man’s writing, but he now had it down to a fine art. Although today he found himself reading it, and then again and then for a third time before glancing up at Bickslow with wide eyes, which grew even larger when Bickslow grinned at him before nodding in response to the silent question. Freed’s fingers tightened around the note - the note that declared that they had a reservation for two at Murano, one of the best restaurants in Fiore, famed for its food and prices. It was somewhere that Freed had always wanted to eat, practically drooling over the menu, but it had never been justifiable.

“This…is too much,” he protested weakly. He knew that Bickslow had taken a couple of solo jobs when he had been laid up a month ago and he’d also done some extra shifts for Yajima-san…all of that now making sense, but it was still too much. “Bickslow…” He was cut off by warm lips pressing against his, startled to realise that Bickslow had closed the distance between them while he was distracted and he couldn’t help but melt into the kiss, even though he wasn’t done protesting. However, rather than pulling back when they parted, the Seith mage rested his head against his, crimson eyes filled with so much emotion that Freed found his protests dying on his tongue.

“Let me do this,” Bickslow pleaded softly, nudging their noses together softly, seemingly unaware of the soft awws from around them. “I need to do this.”

“But…”

“Please.” While Bickslow had apparently got better at resisting his puppy dog eyes, Freed found himself unable to hold out against that pleading tone and he sighed, glancing down at the book and note in his hands with tears shimmering in his eyes as he gave a small nod.

_What did I do to deserve you?_

****

   If he had been overwhelmed earlier, then Freed had no idea what he was feeling by the time they were getting ready to go out. He had received more gifts from his partner throughout the afternoon, nothing as extravagant…single chocolates, accompanied by a random assortment of items that he knew must be clues to whatever else his partner had planned, but which he so far hadn’t managed to piece together. So far he’d accumulated a postcard of Kardia Cathedral, a calendar with pictures of book covers which, when he’d flicked through it had the 27th August circled in red but he couldn’t for the life of him think about what could be on that day. A musical lacrima that contained all their favourite songs and finally another book, a travel guides to Fiore with half a dozen pages already folded down.

   _What on earth is he planning?_ The question was rolling around his mind on repeat even as he carefully straightened his cravat once more, fingers trembling slightly as he brushed against the material before forcing himself to pull his fingers away.

“Are you ready?” He turned at the quiet question, only to freeze as he stared at his partner. Bickslow had completely abandoned his usual attire and was instead wearing a smart tuxedo with green highlights, and the Rune mage blushed as he realised that the green had been chosen to match his hair. _He really is going too far_. The other man had also made an attempt to tame his hair, although Freed was amused to see that some strands were already running wild again.

“You look very handsome,” he commented softly as he moved to join the taller man, reaching up to gently brush the wayward strands away once more, although he knew that by the end of the evening they would probably be standing up every which way again and he couldn’t help but smile at that thought. He jumped when Bickslow caught his hands as he lowered down, staring down at him with such a beguiled expression that Freed found himself having to look away in embarrassment. It was always the Seith mage who claimed that he was the lucky one to have Freed, but the Rune mage had always argued that it went both ways…but after today, he knew that he was the lucky one.

“So do you,” Bickslow’s said softly, gently using their entwined hands to tilt the Rune mage’s face up until Freed was looking him in the air, grinning the blush that had spread across his partner’s face before leaning in to kiss him tenderly. “Happy Birthday…” He added when they parted, smiling as he released one of Freed’s hand before using the other to tug the shorter man after him as he turned and headed for the door. The movement didn’t give the Rune mage a chance to try and put the surging emotions in his chest into words, and in the end, he gave up, settling for squeezing Bickslow’s fingers tightly.

_I love you._

****

   After being so calm and confident about his plans all day, it was clear that Bickslow was getting nervous as they entered the restaurant and it was making Freed nervous as well. He might not have a clue what his partner had planned, but after everything else that day he knew that it had to be something big, and he could feel butterflies beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. _What is going on?_ Still, he couldn’t help but be distracted by the restaurant, glancing around in awe, admiring the soft golden and ivory tones that it was decorated in and mesmerised by the sight of hundreds of ornate cranes hanging from the ceiling.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered as they were led towards his seat, and Bickslow smiled at him, following his gaze, and it was clear that he wanted to say something as well, but just as Freed had done earlier, he settled for squeezing the Rune mage’s fingers tightly. The uncharacteristic response drew Freed’s attention, and he watched his partner closely as they were led to a secluded table at the back, deciding he really didn’t want to know how Bickslow had got them such privacy as he realised that the tables around theirs had been deliberately left bare. _This is way too much…_

    Any thoughts of pointing that out disappeared a moment later though as he spotted the tiny filigree box sitting on the table, barely aware of Bickslow asking if they could have a few minutes to themselves as his fingers flew down to the pocket where he had carefully put the key before they left the house. The butterflies were intensifying, and it took him a couple of attempts to pull the key out, and he didn’t resist as Bickslow gently guided him to the seat, pulling it back for him so that he could sit. He could feel crimson eyes on him, but he didn’t dare look at Bickslow, certain that he was about to get his answers, but suddenly fearing what they might be. His fingers were trembling so badly as he tried to get the key in the lock that he missed half a dozen times before he jumped as Bickslow’s hands came to rest on top of his, and finally, he lifted his head to find Bickslow watching him with a nervous expression.

“Calm down.” None of his nervousness showed in his voice though and Freed wanted to glare at him, well aware that if it had been him, he would have tripped over his words. Instead, he took a deep breath and nodded, pausing for a moment before trying again, and this time the key went in easily, and he hesitated before gently turning it, the quiet click as the lock opened sounding deafening in the silence that had fallen between them. He glanced at Bickslow once more, noting that his partner looked more nervous than ever before reaching out and gently lifting the lid, his breath catching as his gaze landed on the silver ring lying in the centre. “Freed….” He jolted at the soft voice, slowly tearing his gaze away from the ring, his mind trying to tell him just what he was seeing but he couldn’t bring himself to believe it, at least not until he met Bickslow’s gaze and saw the hope mixed with the nervousness in the red eyes.

“Is…?”

   Bickslow cut him off by gently grasping both of his hands, holding his gaze evenly, although he visibly gulped before he managed to get his voice to work.

“I know it’s a little selfish to ask for something on your birthday, but I’ve wanted to ask you this for a long time, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.” Bickslow was rambling slightly, his nerves getting the better of himself and he paused to take a deep breath, before squeezing Freed’s hands again as he finally got out the words that he had been so desperate to say from the moment that Freed had woken that morning. “Freed Justine, will you marry me?”

    There was a rushing sound in Freed’s ears, his eyes already beginning to sting as he glanced between his partner and the ring sitting in the box in front of him, his mind racing as he finally started to connect the dots between the seemingly random gifts…the postcard of Kardia Cathedral, the place where everyone in Fairy Tail went to get married. The calendar - was he thinking so far ahead that he booked a date? The music lacrima with all their favourite songs, so that they could choose a song for their first dance, and a guide to Fiore for a honeymoon. He sniffled lightly, his emotions beginning to get the better of him as he focused on Bickslow’s hopeful gaze once more and he wasn’t sure who was more startled when a soft, watery laugh bubbled up.

“Selfish? You think you’re selfish….?” Freed was laughing and crying at the same time as he pulled his hands free, his vision blurring even as he stumbled out of his seat, barely aware of the fact that Bickslow had hastily mirrored his actions until the Seith mage caught him midway around the table. “Yes…Yes, you idiot. My answer is yes!” He cried as he buried his face against Bickslow, tears leaking down his cheeks as he felt Bickslow’s arms creeping up to embrace him, wishing that he could control his emotions or at least find the words that were swirling in his chest. However, he took some comfort from the fact that Bickslow’s heart was hammering beneath where he had his ear pressed to the other man’s chest, and he sounded decidedly shaky as he pressed a soft kiss against the top of his head.

“H-Happy Birthday…”


End file.
